Chapter 7
Seven
Miles
I blinked into the dark and reached for my water only to smack my hand against bare wood. Right, I was at the dads' place.
Sitting up, I glared at the clock that told me it was three in the morning, and wondered why I was awake at this godawful hour.
Fighting with the sheets in a manner that was far too graceless for a shifter, I got out of bed, and slipped out of my room with as little sound as possible.
I was about to head downstairs to find that glass of water when a soft thump from Micah's room made me stop. Was Duckie okay? A wave of terror hit me through our bond, and I was rushing across the hallway and pushing the door open before I'd processed anything.
Duckie was sitting on the edge of the bed, and the terror he'd felt dissipated as fast as it'd hit.
I padded closer to him, though it wasn't hard to tell what had happened.
I was intimately familiar with nightmares, and I'd spent many nights curled up against a sleeping Mateo as I tried to calm myself down enough to fall back asleep.
You wanna talk about it? I asked through the bond, not wanting to wake the others. I'd realized that I could direct what I said so it reached one or both of my mates, which was useful in situations like these.
Duckie glanced up at me, his face shadowed in the dark room. He glanced at the spot beside him, and I sat down on the edge of the bed. With me sitting and him standing on the mattress, he didn't have to crane his neck to meet my eyes for once.
I had a nightmare.
About something specific or... I trailed off, and melancholy filled our bond, making my chest ache.
When I was eight, two armed men broke into our house in the middle of the night.
My mom told me to shift and hid me in a cabinet.
They... they killed them both. I can still hear the sound of the gunshots.
They found me, but they thought I was a duck, and they were going to eat me, but I managed to escape.
I've been drifting since, too scared to shift back.
I've tried to many times, but I always panic.
Duckie fell quiet as I digested what he'd revealed. No wonder he was so unwilling to shift back.
Mateo and I had been abandoned as babies. We'd never known our birth parents. But I knew that even as an adult, it would break me if someone killed my dads, or Mateo. Going through that as a kid? I couldn't even imagine it.
God, Duckie. I'm so sorry. The words didn't feel like enough, but I didn't know what else I could say. Or do. I didn't think anything would make him feel better.
Duckie shrugged, and I slid closer to him, pressing our sides together in an offer of comfort. He leaned into me, his feathers soft against the bare skin of my arm.
Do you remember where you lived? I asked after a few minutes. Maybe I could find out if the men had ever been caught. Maybe having some closure would give him some peace. Maybe I could find out his parents' resting place and we could pay them a visit.
Yeah. We had a small house in South Hill, Tacoma, but I don't remember the exact address. I've never been able to bring myself to go back. Why?
No reason, I told him, not wanting to get his hopes up in case I found nothing. Can I ask how old you are? I can tell you're an adult, but beyond that I'm clueless. I'm twenty-four.
You're younger than me! I didn't realize that. I'm twenty-nine.
Twenty-nine? That meant he'd spent twenty-one years all alone drifting from place to place as a duck. Fuck.
Can I hug you? I blurted out, and Duckie's eyes snapped to mine.
Um, sure, he answered after a beat, and I reached out, winding my arms around his middle, careful not to squeeze too tight as I picked him up and held him to me.
He was warm and soft in my arms, and while it was nowhere near as comforting as hugging a human, it still made me feel calmer.
I placed Duckie back on the bed before it got awkward, then scratched the back of my head. I should let you get back to bed.
Thank you for checking on me.
Offering him a smile, I left the room, and padded downstairs for a glass of water before returning to my room.
I climbed under the sheets as Duckie's story circled in my mind, and realized I wouldn't fall back asleep anytime soon. I was unsettled. I needed to do something, help Duckie somehow, make things better in some way.
Maybe if I could find out what had happened to the men who killed his parents...
Grabbing my phone, I scrolled through my contacts until I found Nash's name, and opened a text window. My thumbs flew over the keypad as I typed the message.
Me: Hey, sorry about the late-night text. Do you have any contacts in Tacoma? I need some info about a 21 year old case. It's for my mate. Again, sorry about texting you so late.
I hit send, but I didn't expect an instant reply, not unless he was working the night shift.
While Nash was human, he knew about supes—he might be related to one; all I knew was that he called Vo, a gargoyle in our clan, 'uncle'—and he was the person we contacted when we needed any assistance from law enforcement.
He'd helped out the clan so many times that he was a member now in all the ways that mattered.
I'd met him at one of the clan gatherings, and he'd given me his number then, and told me to call him if I ever needed his help.
I hadn't thought I'd take him up on it so soon.
Once I was sure he wouldn't be responding tonight, I put my phone away, and closed my eyes, determined to make myself sleep for the few hours remaining in the night.
Duckie
It was hard to get my mind to settle, though Miles had helped get rid of the terror that haunted me after every nightmare. He'd been so sweet, and I'd found it easy to tell him about that night.
But now sleep was eluding me, and I was getting tired of staring at the wall.
A faint shuffle pulled my attention to the door, and I tilted my head as I watched the owl slip into the room.
Mateo? I asked, sensing it was him even though it was too dark to tell what color his beak was.
Hey, Duckie. I heard you shuffling around, thought I could keep you company until you fall asleep. Unless you'd rather be alone? he asked, hovering inside the door.
I'd like some company, I admitted, and he hopped in place before flying onto the bed.
Moving closer, he snuggled into my side, then started grooming me. Is this weird?
It feels nice. While I'd spent a lot of time around other birds, they could sense I wasn't like them, and while they never tried to kick me out of the flock, they'd always kept their distance.
We were silent for a while, and the gentle scratching and tugging of Mateo's beak started lulling me toward sleep, and before I knew it, I'd drifted off.
I stirred, snuggling closer to the smaller, warm body beside me. I didn't want to get up. I needed about ten more hours of sleep before I'd feel ready to face the world, but I didn't think I'd be getting it.
A rush of fondness hit me through the bond, and it took me a moment to realize it was coming from Miles.
Peering through squinted eyes, I found him standing in the doorway, a soft smile on his face as he watched us.
"Morning, Duckie," he murmured when he caught me watching him, and I opened my eyes wider, taking him in.
He was still dressed in his sleep clothes, though I could see them in the daylight. His t-shirt was worn, the pattern faded, and his sweatpants hung low on his hips, making him appear soft and ruffled.
Over the years, there'd been a few men who'd caught my eye, but I could never do anything about it. None of them had been quite as captivating as Miles, and none of them had made me want to try, to find a way to shift without having a panic attack so I could touch him, skin on skin, lips on lips.
Duckieeee, Mateo whined as he stirred, and I glanced over at him as he untucked his face from beneath his wings. Stop assaulting me with your lustful feelings for my brother.
Embarrassment hit me square in the face. If he could tell what I was feeling, so could Miles.
Careful, and trying not to be obvious, I snuck a glance at Miles, and found him watching me with a tiny smirk on his face. He winked at me, making me feel even more flustered, then glanced at Mateo, releasing me from his hold.
"Come on, brat. Time to wake up if you want some pancakes."
Pancakes seemed to be the key word because Mateo hopped upright, then flew out of the room with a distracted Byeee.
Miles and I stared at each other for another moment before he nodded to himself and straightened up. "I'll see you downstairs."
I nodded, and he slipped out of the room as I flew down and made my way to the bathroom.
Once I'd taken care of business and gotten my heart back under control, I flew downstairs, landing outside the kitchen and then making my way inside.
I nodded at April, who was perched on a stand that looked like it was made from a real tree trunk and branches, and she chirped back at me. I guessed the two empty branches were for the twins, and wondered if their dads had any pictures of all three of them sitting there.
"Good morning, Duckie," Gus greeted as he flipped a pancake. He was quite a good cook for a vampire, and it was one of the things that told me how much he loved his family.
Good morning, I said through the bond, Mateo—who was back in human form and looked ready to face the day—interpreting for me again like last night.
"Pancakes okay with you?"
I nodded in an instant, making him chuckle.
"Do you drink coffee, Duckie?" Cassian asked, and I shook my head. I'd tried it yesterday, but the bitter flavor was not for me. Miles had added cream to mine to make it more palatable, but by the time I'd found it drinkable, it'd been more cream than coffee.
"He liked orange juice better," Miles chimed in, making my heart skip a beat. He'd noticed, huh?
Thank you, I told him, and he shot me a smile, sending my heart into a tailspin once more.
After breakfast, the three of us flew back home, where Mateo and Miles grabbed a shower while I pattered around the house. I wondered if I'd get to go out with one of them again.
I'd expected to feel overwhelmed by all the people I'd met over the past two days.
After more than two decades of being on my own, I should have been struggling with this.
But instead, I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the town, to meet more people from the clan.
Maybe I'd even get to meet the dragon who watched over this town, who Mateo had informed me was Micah's father-in-law. Or one of them, anyway.
"Hey, Duckie," Mateo said as he came downstairs dressed in another t-shirt and jeans. "I'm heading back to the haunted house today, and Miles is going to work on a B&B owned by two of our friends, Neel and Pax. Would you like to join one of us?"
I want to meet more people, so can I join Miles?
"Of course! He'll be happy to hear that. He should be down soon. If he ever settles on what to wear," he added a little louder, telling me it was for Miles's benefit. In a conspiratorial whisper, he said, "He wants to impress you."
I blinked, wondering if he meant it or if he was teasing his brother. It wasn't like Miles needed to do anything. I already found him pretty damn interesting and impressive. If I could get a handle on my fears, maybe I could show him.